HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
259 
its arrival: every necessary preparation, therefore, was made to attempt an assault. 
In short, the fire was continued with such vigour, that the English thought it ne¬ 
cessary to make propositions; and towards eight o’clock, M. de la Bourdonnais 
received a letter from Madame Barnaval, the daughter of Madame Dupleix, to 
propose an accommodation. 
Accordingly M. de la Bourdonnais, alarmed at the arrival of the enemy’s squa¬ 
dron, with which he was menaced, eagerly embraced the opportunity to place his 
own in a state of security. 
He immediately replied to Madame Barnaval, that if deputies were sent to him 
on the next day, her letter would serve as a passport, and the firing should cease 
from six o’clock in the morning till eight. 
On the 20th in the morning, Messieurs Monson and Hally-Burton, deputies from 
Madras, came to his camp, when he communicated to them the extent of his powers. 
They endeavoured at first to persuade him, that being on the territory of the 
Mogul, the town was privileged from any attack ; but he represented to them, that 
he did nothing more than repel their hostilities; that they had taken the Favori in 
a neutral position; that they had burned the Pondicherry under the fortress of 
Tranquebar; and that they had sent detachments twenty leagues up the country, in 
search of French prisoners who had taken refuge there. These facts could not be 
denied, and the deputies threw the whole blame of these acts of hostility, on the 
ships of his Britannic Majesty. M. de la Bourdonnais replied, that it was to those 
ships he wished to address himself, but as he could not meet with them, Madras 
must answer for all. At length the deputies, understanding that the negociation must 
take a more serious turn, did not long delay to demand the nature and extent of 
the contribution which he would require, to induce him to retire from before their 
town. I do not traffic in honour, answered M. de la Bourdonnais,* the French 
flag shall be planted on Madras, or I will die beneath its walls. 
This proposition appeared to be very revolting to the deputies; who replied, that 
the object of their visit to him was to purchase the security of their town; and if 
all negociation on that point was refused them, they would defend it to the last 
extremity: as they should consider it less dishonourable to submit to the terms 
which a conqueror might impose upon them, than surrender themselves at once, 
and without a struggle, to his disposal. He then declared, that if they would 
surrender the town, and every thing which it contained, they might depend on 
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